February 25, 2007

Do you want Abdul Kalam re-elected? 2

I have no problem with this particular SMS-ish. It goes “We want A P J” and students are punching it to friends and family. It’s really not surprising they are rooting for APJ. Among a lot of reasons they may have, the most prominent would be that APJ has been a visibly student-friendly Prez. He seems to attend functions in educational institutions quite regularly. He meets students of all ages all the time, wherever he is. He is tech-savvy and has a web site that works. For students, a person with a web site is a person with brains.
The student campaign, initiated by Pune-based NGO Pune Nagrik Manch (PNM), has an online petition to the government of India urging them to make sure Dr. Kalam is re-elected as Prez of India.The petition posted on http://www.petitiononline.com, a free online service, in October last year has already been signed by more than 1,74,800 people.
This online petition reads: “We need the dynamic leadership of Dr A P J Abdul Kalam with his vision. I am a young citizen of India, armed with technology, knowledge and love for my nation, [and] I realize aiming small is a crime.”
“Our mission is to re-elect President Kalam as he is the only person who deserves to be the first citizen of our country. I cannot think of another name for the coveted seat,” said Sujeet Shimalkar, president of PNM.
Vibha Dham, a student of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), who has signed the on-line petition, said she was impressed by the President when she met him at a function in 2002.”The President expressed a genuine concern for the youth of the country. The scientist-turned-statesman is enlightened and has the right vision for the young population of India,” she said.
Kalam has become an idol for young students not only in India, but across the globe. Proof for this comes from the popularity of his official website http://www.presidentofindia.com The site recorded one crore hits as of August 15 last year. The President himself responds to the e-mails sent to him.

Dear Friends,
Here’s a website which is a citizen’s campaign to request, vote and bring back Dr Kalam
as President for Second Term in Office – http://www.BringKalamBack.com. We all know the
power of his vision and the way he deliberates by providing all the necessary steps to
achieve that vision. We need him with us for a few more years to show us the direction.

The website will authenticate your registration by sending an email to confirm
and vote after providing the necessary details for registration. You will get an
email in your inbox to click and vote. You’ll get another email to request your
friends to vote.

2 – 4 weeks is the time we have to make this campaign a success. If you don’t vote,
we might be responsible in not having President Kalam for a second term in office.
India’s voting will be sent to President Kalam’s office and various political parties.

Hi abinaya, I see your point. But our constitution restricts the role of the President. He can delay and ask for review, but cannot override the parliament, which is the representative body in a democracy. We just think that Kalam used his powers very well. He stood for education and the development of a scientic temperament. He was simple and down to earth and generally spoke his mind.
Hi lokesh, all the best for the campaign! Will Kalam agree, is the question.

hi friends i saw yours point of abdul kalam bring back. at this instant of time india want to progress in the world much more. so now india need a eminent leader(president)to take india much longer, i thaught it can be done by one person i.e,abdul kalam. i think he had a view on modern education, that should be more required.if we bring back kalam, he surely used his powers & techniques to do india very well.so u vote for a person who take india very longer………..

Hello friends,
Today I am totally disappointed to hear UPA has chosen Mrs.Pratibha Patil as their candidate & NDA to Mr Shekhawat. It’s a great shame on these political parties who are not ready to back up candidate like APJ who’s probably the most influential preseident we ever had! It’s really a pity to watch them play this dirty game for pure political motives.

APJ is probably be the only able visionary who could put forward the vision like 2020.There is no doubt that most of the Indian public would love to have him reelected as the next preseident.
Its a real pity that this right is just restricted to the political parties and not to us, the public. I think this is the moment we should stand by what we want and show true power of Indian public to our political parties.

I voted in petition online but the numbers are still low compared to Indian Population.I was wondering aren’t there other ways ? I would like to hear from you…

Absolutely, Arun! Agree with every word you say! “Influential”, right? That’s exactly why he wasn’t nominated again. Political parties choose their candidates for party reasons and we are expected to toe the line. Unless there is a direct election for Prez, we cannot stop this. Ruling parties have all the powers of choice once they are voted in. At the basic elections (assembly and lok sabha) we have to vote and vote carefully. Our salvation lies there.
Even if half a billion people voted for him online, do you think APJ would have been nominated? I doubt it. Sorry to sound cynical.

Kalam must be our Next President, yes we want him to continue this term too.
But we must respect his opinion too, what ever be his decision.

Congress plays Women card, but not interested in the Women bill to be kept before parliament.

Communists…., must be suspected of treason. their moves and statements are not no way targeted to a better future. Somnath Targets Courts in his comments….,
They are defining the Qualities of a President, I pity them ………….

Dr APJ abdul kalam is the best president india have ever had.But for those who do not support him ,i have some sentences to say ..he was the one who set goals for the entire country .before his tenure,we dont know where the nation was going..i wish him all the best …hope he should be re-elected…..

I like all expected and wished for Dr Kalam to be the one. But things are different with the Indian politics. Though they are so called representatives of the people, they don’t mind what people of India want. This is all politics. Things with politician are not the same as we & Dr kalam think about bringing change in India. I hope ours and Dr Kalam’s urge to bringing change in India will only add more after this incident.